In most organizations, departments develop their own ways of thinking, their own priorities, and their own assumptions about what's possible. This natural specialization creates expertise, but it can also create invisible barriers to breakthrough thinking when these assumptions go unchallenged.
When Teams Question Together,
Better Solutions Emerge
I recently worked with a successful distribution company looking to optimize their geographic strategy. They had a well-established approach to territories that had served them well for many years.
When we brought operations, sales, and finance leaders together in the same room to examine their assumptions about these territories, the conversation shifted. The sales team shared emerging market opportunities. Operations highlighted new logistics capabilities they'd developed. Finance offered insights on changing cost structures.
By examining their collective assumptions rather than defending departmental perspectives, they discovered an enhanced geographic approach that built on their strengths while opening new possibilities. What made this work wasn't just the strategy itself—it was the power of different departments examining assumptions together rather than separately.
How Your Teams Benefit When They Challenge Assumptions Together
When departments break down their assumption silos, each team discovers unique advantages:
For Your Operations Teams:
- Operational parameters that seemed fixed often have more flexibility when examined from multiple perspectives
- The efficiency metrics that might inadvertently work against customer experience become visible
- Process improvements that your salespeople have been requesting finally get proper context
For Your Sales Organization:
- Customer segments that operations could profitably serve with targeted adjustments become apparent
- Territory structures can be refined based on current operational capabilities
- Pricing assumptions that finance and operations may view differently come to light
For Your Finance Leaders:
- Resource allocation can be better aligned with strategic priorities
- Historical cost structures can be examined with fresh operational insights
- Investment thresholds can be evaluated against broader organizational value
The breakthrough happens not when each department questions their own assumptions, but when they question them together.
Making Cross-Functional Assumption Challenging Part of Your Strategy Process
Here's how to start breaking down these barriers tomorrow:
- Begin with an “Assumption Swap” – Have each department list their top five operating assumptions, then exchange and question them from their functional perspective.
- Ask the “New CEO” Question – What would an outsider from another industry immediately question about how your departments interact?
- Map Your Assumption Chain – Trace how an assumption in one department creates ripple effects across others, revealing interconnected impact.
- Create “Borderless Experiments” – Test assumption changes that require multiple departments to collaborate on implementation.
Strategy developed without cross-functional input rarely achieves its full potential. But when your teams challenge assumptions together, they not only find better solutions—they create the shared ownership that turns great strategies into real results.
Ready to transform departmental barriers into strategic breakthroughs? Download our Challenging Assumptions Guide to facilitate cross-functional sessions that make strategy both fulfilled and fulfilling.